


Cigarettes & Smiles

by lostinthemusic6



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Romance, Strangers to Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 21:42:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 14,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4641195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostinthemusic6/pseuds/lostinthemusic6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He always came in at the same time and always bought the same thing; a bottle of water and a pack of reds, never menthol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I usually post all of my stories on ff.net but do to some requests I am also transferring them all here as well :)

_Beth lifts her head and smiles as she hears the rumble of a motorcycle outside. She gets up from her chair and heads toward the register. She reaches up, grabbing a pack of Marlboro reds and sets them down on the counter, glancing at the clock._

_11:30_

_Daryl comes in a few seconds later, gives her a small nod of acknowledgement, and heads toward the cooler. He comes back up the aisle and sets two bottles of water on the counter in front of her, along with a Styrofoam container he had been carrying since he walked in. Beth scans the waters and the pack of cigarettes before she reads him his total and she barely finishes her words when he hands her a twenty dollar bill. She quickly cashes him out and hands him his change._

_"Heard it might rain tomorrow," Beth says, watching as he picks up his smokes and places them in his pocket before he grabs one of the water bottles._

_"Ain't gonna."_

_Is all he says in his gruff voice and begins to head toward the door._

_"Have a good night, Daryl," Beth says sweetly, giving him a small smile._

_He pauses at the door, turning around to face her, his back braced against the glass._

_"Night, Beth." he mumbles before begins to push the door open and if she looks real hard, she can see just the barest hint of a smile on his lips._

_He pushes his way out the building and she watches him until she hears the grumble of his motorcycle starting up again. She then looks down at the counter where he had left the other water bottle and the Styrofoam container. She picks it up and pops it open, laughing when she sees the pancakes and eggs inside. She looks back out toward the door and sees Daryl begin to pull out of the parking spot, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips._

_She grabs the food and heads back over to the desk in the corner just as she hears Daryl peel out of the lot and as she opens one of the drawers, pulling out a plastic fork, she smiles._

_._

.

.

Beth is contemplating just locking the doors and going in back to take a nap. It's not like anyone is ever coming to come in this late anyway. Zack had told her just as much; the night shift was one of the most boring shifts to have at Dale's - a small convenience store just on the edge of town, owned by an old man with a love for fishing and an interesting way of thinking. He refused to close the shop at night, his excuse being, "ya never know when an emergency can strike and I wanna make sure people have a place to go."

Beth snorts. Yeah, sure. It didn't bother him at all, Dale was currently sleeping, probably snoring away being as he wasn't the one who had to work the night shifts. That was now Beth's job. It used to be Zack's but he decided a month ago that he was leaving town, said he had a brother in Atlanta and he was tired of the small town. Beth envied him.

Now she was stuck working this lame shift and Zack guaranteed her that she wouldn't get more than five customers her whole night. Great. The only reason Beth had agreed to take his place was because Dale wasn't completely heartless - he paid two extra dollars an hour just to work this ridiculous shift. So it wasn't much of a decision when Dale had asked her if she wanted to switch from being his morning cashier to his night - he knew she was in desperate need of money.

Her first night was starting off nothing but boring. She had already gone through all the aisles twice, facing and organizing everything in the store and it was only two hours into her shift. She sighed as she made her way toward the desk Dale kept in the corner, slumping down in the chair and wishing she had thought to brought a book or something. She leans back in her chair, deciding to put her feet up on the desk - what Dale didn't know wouldn't hurt him, she decided. Wasn't like he had cameras in this place anyways. Just as she lifted her feet though she heard the grumble of a motorcycle pulling into the lot and she glanced down at the clock.

_11:30_

She quickly stood up and made her way over to the cash register, sighing softly as the door is pulled open and a man walks in. He doesn't look up as she greets him but she does notice a small pause in his steps as he heads toward the coolers. She watches as he grabs a bottle of water and heads for the counter she's standing behind. He places the water down and she gives him a smile, which he doesn't return, but she does notice how his eyes narrow, glancing over her as if he's studying her, searching for an answer.

"Anything else?" Beth asks politely, noticing that his eyes are a striking blue color.

"Pack'a Marlboro. Red." he responds gruffly, already placing a twenty dollar bill on the counter.

She nods and finishes ringing him out. Normally she would try and engage in a conversation with her customers but Beth could tell right away that this guy wasn't the talking type. Her suspicions are confirmed when she hands him his change and he picks up his purchase without a word before he makes his way toward the door. Beth sighs softly, turning to head back to the desk.

"Where's the otha guy?"

Beth pauses, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as she sees the guy still inside, leaning against the door, slightly pushing it open. She finds her eyes searching him, grazing over his appearance, taking in his torn jeans and sleeveless flannel. He's wearing a leather vest and his hair looks like a tosseled mess but he strangely pulls it off. He's just looking at her and she notices an eyebrow arch and she realizes that she still hasn't answered him yet.

"Oh, Zack?" she mutters, feeling her cheeks begin to warm. "He quit. Decided to move to his brother's in Atlanta." she explains with a shrug.

"You his replacement?" the man asks then, shifting his water bottle to his opposite hand.

"For now," she replies simply.

"Good." the man says with a small nod, beginning to open the door. "Kid was an annoyin' lil shit. Never stopped talkin'."

With that the man opened the door completely and stepped out, and Beth watched as he made his way over to his motorcycle, placing a cigarette in his mouth. He started it up and as he began to pull out of the lot, Beth couldn't help but smile.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

The man came in every night for the next four days and when Friday finally came, Beth couldn't be more than excited. Her body wasn't used to this overnight shift and she had been feeling tired and sluggish nearly all week. Her plans for tomorrow included doing absolutely nothing and she could not wait to just get home. She hears the rumble of a motorcycle and she perks up, jumping down from the counter and heads toward the register, quickly glancing up at the clock and she smirks.

_11:30_

She says her soft hello to the man when he walks in and he nods his head slightly in response as he makes his way toward the cooler. Beth yawns and looks out toward the parking lot, noticing the bike parked near the door - where the man always parked it - and she finds herself speaking before she even knows what she's doing, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully as she keeps her gaze outside.

"What's it like?" she asks, finally turning toward the man who was making his way toward the counter, water bottle in hand. "Ridin'." she elaborates when she notices the slight confusion on that man's face and he follows her gaze as she looks back out toward the bike.

"Never been on one?" he mumbles, already digging in his pocket for his money and Beth shakes her head, grabbing a pack of smokes from the overhead before scanning them and setting them down on the counter.

"Never knew anyone with one," she responds, taking his money and the man nods his head, a small snort of what sounds like amusement reaching her ears but when she looks up at him his face is blank and she starts to wonder if maybe she imagined it.

The man never answers her question and surprisingly she is okay with that because she gets the feeling that maybe the answer isn't something that he could simply put into words - not that motorcycle man seemed to know a lot of words anyway but she just gives him his change and watches as he collects his purchase into his hands.

"See ya on Monday," she says just as he begins to walk away and he pauses, turning around to face her again.

"Ya don't work weekends?" he asks, placing his pack of smokes in his pocket and when Beth just shakes her head, the man stands there, seeming to contemplate something and she is a little surprised when he begins to make his way back to the counter, setting his water bottle down again.

"Lemme get two more packs," he mutters, already pulling out his money and Beth bites her lip but it is a useless attempt, her smile still breaks through anyway.

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

His name is Daryl.

She remembers the night he came in, covered in grease and wearing a pale blue shirt, the sleeves ripped off and the logo for some auto shop she had seen in town numerous times on his breast pocket; he had come in for his usual water and smokes but she was surprised when he also bought up a six pack of beer.

"Rough day?" she asks, placing his beer in a bag and reaching to take his money.

The man just grunts in response, picking up his smokes and placing them in his pocket and usually Beth is quiet with him, knowing he prefers not talking - he even had told her that she didn't need to greet him every time he walked in and she thought she should have been a little offended by that but she wasn't, she just smiled and nodded at him - but tonight Beth can't help herself.

"You smoke a pack everyday?" she asks, grabbing his change and the man pauses and she expects maybe yelling or a snide comment or a harsh,  _none of ya damn business_  - because she could clearly picture him saying that but instead he just looks at her curiously.

She has a feeling she's overstepped but she doesn't take back her words, honestly curious because they have been doing this for the past two months now and it's always the same. He'll come in and they wont say a word most of the time unless its nights like tonight where the blonde got too curious and her mouth started moving before she could stop it. It wasn't overly intrusive questions either, in fact this was probably the most intrusive question yet but she can't help but want to know more about the mysterious man who she had simply know as "the man on the motorcycle" for the past months because it isn't normal for sweet and friendly Beth Greene to know someone and still  _know_  nothing about them.

All she knew about this man was that he rode a motorcycle and came to Dale's Convenience Store every night and it was always the same. He always came in at the same time and always bought the same thing; a bottle of water and a pack of reds, never menthol - she remembers that day a few weeks back when Dale had miscalculated the order and they had sold their last pack of Marlboro Reds around noon the day before the next shipment was to arrive and Beth had dreaded for her motorcycle man to come in because she hated to be the bearer of bad news and also because she was certain that he would have been pissed - he was a man of habit, that much she had realized and she always knew how picky people could get about their cigarettes.

He surprised her though, just shrugging his shoulders and setting the water bottle down on the counter after she told him.

"'S'long as it ain't menthol, don't matter what cha give me." he had simply sad and Beth had just smiled, shaking her head slightly because she knew that no matter how hard she tried to unravel him, this man would always be a mystery to her.

She finally looks up at him now, wondering if he was going to ignore her question - it wouldn't be the first time - and she bites her lip anxiously, trying not to notice how the man's intense blue eyes dropped down to catch the movement before he clears his throat and looks up and her, grabbing his six pack and bottle of water.

"Jus' depends on tha day," he offers with a shrug and Beth just gives him a nod.

"Have a good night Daryl," she says, offering him one of her signature smiles that she knows he won't return.

She watches as his eyebrows furrow and he gives her a surprised look and it isn't until she also notices the confusion on his face that she realizes he had never actually told her his name. She silently points to her name tag of the left hand side of her uniform, mirroring where his own dirty work shirt had his name printed in red lettering and as he puts the information together Beth swears she sees just a hint of a smirk play on his lips but before she can be positive, the familiar scowl reappears and he makes his way toward the door.

"Night, Beth," he calls quietly, surprising her and slipping out into the night before she can respond and she can't help but smile.

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 4

It's about two weeks later that Maggie comes to visit her overnight, Beth having texted her saying she was beyond bored and starving. Maggie, like the good big sister she was (and also because it was Friday and she didn't have to be at work the next morning) - kindly drove over and brought Beth a small pizza she had made Glenn bring home from work and she sat behind the counter as the two talked and gossiped like they were both back home on the farm, sitting on the kitchen counter and eating ice cream instead of sitting in Dale's sort of smelly store and scarfing down slices of gooey, somewhat cold pizza.

As if she needs a reminder of where they are Beth hears the rumble of Daryl's motorcycle and she quickly takes another bite of pizza so Maggie won't see her smile, quickly taking note of the clock beside her.

_11:30_

"I still don't understand how you ain't creeped out by all of this," Maggie states just as Daryl walks in, looking over at the two before he makes his way toward the cooler.

"What do ya mean?" Beth asks, standing up and walking toward the counter, beginning to pull down three packs of Reds - because it's Friday and Daryl doesn't come in on the weekend when she's not working, she knows, she asked Noah, her weekend replacement and he said not once has he ever seen a guy on a motorcycle come in at exactly 11:30 and Beth can't help but feel a warm sense of pride in that fact.

"Being here alone all night, I'd go outta my mind, not ta mention what could happen. Not everyone in town is nice ya know." Maggie comments, glancing warily at Daryl who has just opened the cooler door.

Beth knows Maggie means nothing by it but she can't help but feel a little angry at Maggie's assumption that Daryl was a creep or a bad man. Daryl was honestly one of the nicest men she had dealt with while working here. She begins to ring up the cigarettes as Daryl makes his way to the counter.

"'S'not that bad," Beth says with a small shrug. "The only real problem I have with it is how hungry I seem to get being awake at this time. I can't tell ya how many times I have wished that that Chinese place in town delivered out here."

Maggie laughs, shaking her head at the blonde as she picks up her phone, probably texting Glenn and Beth turns her attention toward Daryl who has a curious look in his eyes, glancing between the blonde and brunette but he doesn't say anything.

"Evenin' Daryl," Beth says, quickly ringing up his items and taking his money.

Daryl grunts - his usual greeting (as well as farewell) and starts packing up his stuff, placing his cigarettes in any pocket that will fit them. They finish up the purchase and without so much as a word Beth smiles as the quiet man heads out the door and onto his motorcycle. Beth doesn't realize that she's staring, watching as he lights up his smoke before starting his bike, until she hears Maggie laugh from behind her.

"Oh my goodness!" Maggie giggles, smirking as Beth turns toward her, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. "I've seen that look before Bethy, you are just smitten with  _tall dark and mysterious_  there." she teases, jerking her chin toward the sound of Daryl leaving the parking lot.

Beth scoffs and rolls her eyes but she can't help her smile and when Monday comes around and she finds herself sitting on the counter as the clock ticks 11:30 and Daryl walks in, she's pretty sure Maggie is right. She wasn't smitten of course, but there was  _something_  about the tough and quiet man that had caught Beth's attention. Daryl makes his way to the counter, holding two bottles of water and a brown paper bag that she hadn't noticed when he walked in but she continues their normal routine and she is surprised when he is the one to start a conversation.

"So ya always workin' here by ya'self at night?" he questions, digging in his pocket for change and Beth doesn't hesitate to answer even though she knows that you should never tell someone that you are at your workplace alone.

She shrugs. "Yeah but I don't mind." she answers and it's true, sure sometimes she got bored and a little lonely but working the night shift was easy and she liked the quiet.

"Ain't exactly safe," Daryl grumbles, handing her his cash.

"Nothings happened yet," she responds quietly, wondering why he was suddenly so curious.

"Mmh," Daryl grunts, nodding his head as if she had just agreed with him instead of rebutted him.

As his receipt prints out Beth is stunned when he makes a grabbing motion with his hand - he  _never_  takes his receipt - and she hands it over to him silently. She watches curiously as he reaches across the counter, picking up the pen that had been resting by her hand and she notes how he hasn't looked up at her once since he came in today. He's scribbling something on the paper and when he's done he slides it forward roughly, picking up his things before he finally looks up at her but quickly looks away again and he brings his thumb up to his mouth, anxiously biting on the nail as she picks up the piece of paper and examines the ten digits printed there.

_His phone number._

"Look, my place is about five minutes from here, uh, just call if ya ever need anythin'." he quietly explains and Beth notices his ears turning a slight tint of red as she looks back up at him, gobsmacked.

Before she can say anything though he is out the door and starting up his motorcycle, not even lighting a smoke before he takes off and it's only after she no longer hears his bike rumbling away does she look back at the counter to see that he had left one of the bottles of water along with the brown paper bag sitting on the counter.

Curious, she picks it up and opens the bag but the smell hits her before she can completely open it and she finds herself laughing as she sees the familiar take out box from the Chinese restaurant just in town. She picks up the water and heads over to the desk, sliding the small piece of paper with Daryl's phone number on it into her back pocket and she is pretty sure she is still grinning when she takes her first bite.

* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

It's a cool night when Beth decides to take her textbook and head outside, sitting down on one of the yellow parking curbs and sighing as the breeze ruffles her hair. It only takes her a few minutes of staring down at the textbook in her lap to realize that her heart just isn't into studying tonight and she sets the book down in front of her, watching as the wind turns a few pages and she leans back, thankful for the bundles of firewood pressed against her back.

She closes her eyes and she sings softly to herself, losing herself in the breeze and the cooler air and the fact that it was Thursday and she only had one more day before she participated in what had become her normal weekend tradition: staying home and doing absolutely nothing. She's so caught up in herself that she doesn't hear the soft footsteps of someone approaching and when she hears the noise of someone clearing their throat she jumps, letting out a startled squeak and she kicks her book as she jerks her feet, causing it to slide slightly across the pavement.

"Oh my god!" she gasps, looking up to see Daryl smirking down at her, clearing amused by her reaction and even though her heart is pounding in her chest she can't help but notice that this is probably the first time she's seen an actual form of a smile from him.

She also notices other things too. His looks haggard and worn, mud covering his clothes and face and she is pretty sure that there is a leaf sticking out of his messier than usual hair. He looks wild, like he had been running through the woods and finally escaped. She glances around, wondering if she had been so caught up in her singing that she could have possibly missed the loud rumble of his motorcycle that she had grown familiar with. When she doesn't see anything but the empty lot though she looks back at him and that's when she notices the hunting knife hanging from his belt and is that a crossbow on his back?

"What?" she mutters, confused and still unsure as to what was going on.

"What are ya doin' outside?" Daryl asks and Beth is sure his voice is gruffer than usual.

She simply shrugs, sitting up straight and pulling her book closer to her feet, letting it close as she stands up.

"It's a nice night, it was too stuffy in there," she says, nodding toward the store.

He nods and then looks down at the book in her hands, his eyebrow shooting up in surprise when he sees the front cover.

"Interestin' read ya got there," he notes, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of smokes.

"Oh, uh, not exactly readin' it for fun. More studyin' then anything," she responds, pulling the book closer to her, glancing at the cover that showed the inner workings of the human body.

"Ya wanna be a doctor or somethin'?" he questions, lighting up his cigarette and Beth can't help but think of the irony.

"A nurse actually. Well, I mean, I  _am_  a nurse already, just don't work as one yet. Got my degree a few months backs. Just trying to keep it all fresh in my head," she explains, biting her lip as she thinks of the degree collect dust in her apartment.

Daryl gapes at her, clearly surprised. "Well shit girl, what ya doing here?"

Beth stammers slightly, surprised by his bluntness. "Well, I mean, back when I graduated, Daddy was having some trouble on the farm so I put it on hold to help him out." she shrugs.

Daryl narrows his eyes at her. "So?"

"So, what?" she asks confused.

"Ya Daddy still having trouble?" he grunts, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"No, not really I guess." she admits, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You should be applyin' at hospitals or somethin'. This ain't no place for a girl like you." he says quietly, looking back at the small store behind them, trying to avoid her probing gaze. She hadn't pictured a man like him questioning her life choices.

"I don't know," she mumbles, looking out toward the night like he was, still puffing on his cigarette. "I feel like once I do that, there ain't no goin' back. I don't know if I'm ready for that. I wanna do... _somethin_ '. I guess I just wanna live a little before, like do somethin' reckless or silly. Like go on a road trip with no real endin' place in mind and just sort of drive...get outta here for a little while before I can't anymore." she realizes she's rambling and when she looks back at him to see him staring at her, an unreadable look in his eyes, she feels her cheeks begin to flush. "Ya know?" she lamely finishes, shrugging her shoulders.

He's silent for a while, smoking his cigarette before he looks back at her.

"Ain't never been outta Georgia," he shrugs, bringing his thumbnail up to his mouth and dropping his now finished cigarette.

"Really?" she asks, surprised. He had always seemed like a drifter to her, possibly roaming all over the world on his motorcycle and when he nods she smiles.

"Not even for vacation or anythin'?" she probes, deciding that if he was in the sharing mood, she was going to get as much out of him as she could.

"Naw, ain't never been on vacation neither," he mumbles around his thumb.

She laughs softly. "Where did you even come from?" she asks then, still wondering how he seemed to just show up out of no where and scared the hell out of her.

Daryl chuckles, an honest to god chuckle and Beth swears it's one of the loveliest noises she's ever heard.

"Had the day off, decided to do some huntin'." he explains, motioning behind him and Beth glances around and even though it's too dark right now she remembers how the store is surrounded by nothing but forest, being located right on the edge of town. "Lost track'a time, I reckon." he finishes, giving her a shrug like spending all day in the woods was no big deal to him and glancing at his appearance again and how it doesn't even seem to faze him that he is covered in mud and who-knows-what-else, she assumes that it's probably true.

"Ya wanna go inside?" Beth asks, beginning to walk toward the door.

He shakes his head. "Nah, I'm good tonight. Should be gettin' home."

"Oh," she says, biting her lip. "Ya want me ta give ya a lift? I could lock up for a few minutes, I'm sure Dale won't mind."

Daryl smiles, though he ducks his head and she can barely see it, and shakes his head again. "'S'aight. Damn near grew up in these woods. Ain't gotta problem walkin' back in the dark." he says and adjusts the crossbow on his back.

"Alright," Beth says, not agreeing with him but knowing that arguing would be pointless. "Just be safe." she says, beginning to pull the door open and he nods, humming in agreement before he begins to walk away.

"Hey," he calls out gruffly just she steps into the store and she turns around to face him again. "Ya should keep singin'." he says softly and he is walking again, disappearing into the night before she can even come up with a response and she is pretty sure that the smile never leaves her lips that night.

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

Beth bangs her head against the grill of her car, sitting down on the yellow curb as she sighs. Looking at her phone again, she groans and closes her eyes, leaning her forehead against the grill. She had been sitting out here for hours now, the sun blazing down on her as she grumbles against the hunk of junk that was her car. She contemplates of who she can call but she realizes that there's no point in calling anyone now - she should have done that when she first came out this morning and realized her car wouldn't start instead of waiting on Maggie for hours, only for her to call and say she can't make it out in time.

Now, by the time she gets a hold of someone, has them come out to pick her up, bring her home and then tries to find a ride back to Dale's tonight, she knows that it would be pointless and she groans again, banging her fist against the metal in front of her.

"Why won't you just start?" she mumbles, taking in a deep breath.

"Pretty sure it helps if ya use the key instead of beggin'."

She hears a gruff voice, a voice she knows can only belong to one person, and she glances up, squinting as she sees Daryl standing beside her, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're early," Beth says, glancing at him curiously.

"Coffeemaker broke," he explains with a shrug, smiling slightly at her comment and holding out his familiar looking disposable cup - Dale liked to have a pot of coffee brewing in the mornings and even though it wasn't the greatest tasting coffee, it was certainly caffeine loaded which is what most people were after.

"S'wrong with ya car?"

"Don't know; Dale said it's probably the battery or somethin'."

"Here," he grunts, making a grabbing motion with his hand and she hands him her keys, standing up from the curb and stretching as he opens the door.

He grunts again and Beth steps forward, taking the coffee cup from his outstretched hand as she watches him slide into the seat. Beth giggles when she hears him swear as he hits his knee on the steering wheel before forcefully pushing the seat back, giving her a glare and mumbling something about her being  _too damn short_. She listens to the clicking she had heard all morning as he turns the key and he nods his head, getting back out of the car.

"Yep, I'd say ya battery bit tha dust," he says, taking his coffee back and handing her her keys in return.

"Great." Beth mutters, kicking her tire halfheartedly.

"I can send a tow truck out when I get into work," Daryl offers, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." Beth says, smiling as she lets out a sigh.

Daryl shrugs and glances over at a blue pick up before looking back at her.

"Ya got anyone that can give ya a ride home?" he asks then, furrowing his eyebrows. "Ya been here since last night, haven't ya?"

"Yeah," Beth sighs, rubbing her eye. "But there ain't no point in callin' anyone. I was expectin' Maggie - my sister - to come get me but she got held up at work and now it's too late. By the time I get someone out here and get home I would need to find another ride back out here 'cause I'm workin' again tonight." Beth shrugs. "Maybe I can get Dale ta let me nap in his office or somethin'."

Daryl clears his throat and she looks over, noticing that he's biting his thumbnail and she notes how its one of those things he does when he is feeling anxious or thinking too hard. She gives him a curious look but he just continues to bite his nail and she closes the door to her car, sighing again as she puts her keys in her pocket.

"Well, thanks for helpin'," she says, turning to head to the entrance when his voice stops her.

"Ya know, my place ain't far from here. Got a cabin just through the woods. It ain't much but the couch is pretty comfy. Ya could at least get a decent nap in." he speaks up, effectively shocking her and she has to remember to close her mouth when she glances up at him.

"Oh, I, I could never ask ya," she starts but he quickly cuts her off.

"Ya didn't. Now hurry up and lets go woman," he mutters and he turns and stalks off toward the blue pick up and she stands there, in utter disbelief for a few moments before she finally begins to follow him and as she pulls open the passenger side door she can't help but wish he had his bike.

She's silent as he as drives down the road and she notices him continuing to bite his thumb nail and she is still in awe and kind of speechless at this point. She watches as he turns down a dirt road - one that she passes everyday to get to work - and she can't help but wonder how she never noticed it before. She sees the cabin and she can't help but to smile because it's tiny and a little run down but the yard is clean and she can tell he takes care of it and it's actually kind of cute - not that she would ever tell him that - and she can't explain it but she honestly couldn't see the man next to her living in anything but this cabin out in the woods and if she didn't know any better, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

She opens the door after he does, noticing that he left the engine running and follows him quickly up the steps.

"I ain't got much time but like I said, there ain't much to this place." he mumbles, opening the door and letting her walk in front of him and she pauses slightly, admiring the small but homely interior of the place and she'd be lying if she didn't think it was one of the most perfect things she had ever seen.

Daryl clears his throat behind her and she turns, noticing him staring at her with narrowed eyes, still gnawing on his thumbnail.

"Ya ain't gonna go snoopin' through my shit are ya?" he questions, his voice rough and she quickly shakes her head.

"I wouldn't do that." she explains. "Not with ya being so nice ta me."

He makes a noise in the back of his throat, like he doesn't believe her, but he lets out a sigh and points over to the left where Beth sees a rather large, comfy looking couch over in the corner of the room.

"Right well, couch is there, blankets and shit are in the closet over by kitchen, which is just through that door. Bathroom is down the hall on the right, my room's on the left. Don't get it confused. There's some flashlights under the sink...you should be able to make it to Dale's within twenty minutes top. I'd leave ya my truck but I brought the bike into the shop yesterday, needed a tune up." he mutters out harshly but she can tell that it isn't in anger, it's the fact that he's about to leave her alone in his home when he probably has never even had a visitor here before.

"Got it," she says with a small nod and he just grunts and then turns to leave.

She quickly reaches out, grabbing his arm and when he stiffens, his fist clenching she immediately drops her hand.

"Daryl wait, um, I just wanted to say, thank you, so much." she stumbles out, knowing that she could never truly put her gratitude into words.

"Whatever," he grumbles, looking uncomfortable and ready to bolt out the door. "Just don't touch nothin', alright?"

Beth nods again and she sighs as he leaves and once she hears the roar of his truck disappear in the distance she walks over to the couch and collapses, not even bothering to look for a blanket. She's asleep within seconds.

...

Beth wakes up a few hours later and she has a slight moment of panic before she remembers everything that happened that morning and she's blushing as she gets up, making her way toward the bathroom. She cleans herself up as best as she can before calling it as it is and decides she should get going to Dale's just in case something goes wrong and it takes her longer than necessary to walk there.

As she walks out of the bathroom she can't help but glance at the room across the hall, Daryl's words ringing in her head but she quickly turns and heads back down the hall. She promised him she wouldn't snoop and she knew that there was no way he would know but it just felt wrong.

Beth Greene doesn't go back on her word.

She goes into the kitchen, opening the cabinet and taking a large flash light out, checking and making sure it worked before she set it back on the counter. It wasn't that dark out but she figured it was better safe than sorry. She's just about to turn when she catches sight of the loaf of bread on the counter, along with two jars of peanut butter and jelly and her stomach grumbles. Well, since it was out in the open, it wasn't exactly snooping, right? She decides what the hell and quickly opens the bread, pulling out two slices, setting them down on a napkin before she begins her search looking for a knife.

Not seeing one in the sink she decides to take her chances and pulls open the closest drawer to her, gasping when she sees in the contents inside. There had to be at least a dozen packs of cigarettes, unopened and tossed haphazardly in the drawer and she furrows her eyebrows, wondering why Daryl would come in and buy a pack of cigarettes everyday when he had so many at home already. Deciding not to look too far into it, she closes the drawer, finds a knife and quickly makes herself a sandwich before she heads for the door.

Walking towards Dale's, Beth can't help but think back to that drawer of cigarettes and she catches herself smiling before she can stop herself.

* * *

 


	7. Chapter 7

They have a system, a routine. Beth isn't too sure when or how it happened but the two just came to this mutual agreement of sorts that basically follows along the lines of "don't ask, don't tell."

Beth doesn't say anything about how he brings her food or buys her a bottle of water every now and then. She doesn't mention that time that time her car broke down and not only did he get it towed and fixed for her, he also let her take a nap on his couch before her next shift. She doesn't ask or question and he doesn't bring it up.

Then, when he comes up to the register and she reads him his total wrong - telling him less than what he owes - or occasionally "forgetting" to ring up a pack of smokes, he doesn't correct her. And when she bakes too much sweets and she brings in a small bag, making sure that she places it on the counter just next to his cigarettes when she rings him out, he doesn't say anything then either but he'll pick them up and take them with him and if she looks really hard sometimes, she can almost see a flick of a smile on his lips when he catches sight of the small gift.

Beth is both amused and also mystified at this strange sort of friendship she has established with this rough and tough looking guy. She had never met anyone like him and every time he comes in, she just wants to throw questions at him left and right - though she dutifully controls herself - and get to know everything about this man that she can.

She still doesn't even know his last name.

But every night he comes in, it's the same time, it's always around 11:30 - always after 11:30 but always before 11:45 - and it's always the same thing. Water and cigarettes and she rings him up and he's on his way and she wants to ask where he is going, where he came from, why he does what he does, but she bites her tongue and follows the routine because while she desperately wants to know more about him, she doesn't want to scare him away.

So she will continue to smile and sell him his cigarettes and silently wonder if this is all the two are ever going to be.

* * *

 


	8. Chapter 8

When she hears the rumble of Daryl's bike that night at 11:30, Beth grins and tries to ignore the feeling of butterflies in her stomach - this wasn't high school, she didn't have a crush, and she most certainly hasn't been anticipating his arrival since she started her shift at nine. Of course not.

She did have something to tell him though and she was just about bouncing in her shoes as she watched him dismount his bike and begin to walk in.

"Hey Daryl!" she calls as he opens the door and he pauses and she tries not to blush at how chipper her voice sounded.

He gives her a weird look - obviously confused by her mood - before he continues on and goes to grab his water. She notices that he doesn't have food for her tonight and she is okay with that - she is pretty sure she's too excited to eat anything anyway.

"You sure seem happy," Daryl mutters as he sets his bottle down on the counter, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm always happy," she counters with an innocent smirk and reaches up to grab his usual pack of reds. "But, I also have good news!" she continues when he cocks his eyebrow at her.

"Hmm?" he grunts in answer, digging through his pocket for his money.

"I put in my two weeks today!" she beams, giving him a grin.

He pauses what he's doing and raises his gaze to her, looking both surprised and dare she say, a little happy.

"That so?" he says gruffly, finally pulling the crumpled bills from his pocket.

"Mmm, hmm," she answers, trying not to notice how his lips seem to twitch as if he is holding back a smile. "I still don't know what I'm gonna do yet, I should probably start applyin' some places but I right now I'm just gonna go with the flow, I guess." she shrugs and then feels her cheeks warm when she realizes she had started to ramble.

She's surprised though when she looks up to see him staring at her, a smirk on his lips and an almost playful glint in his eyes.

"Good for you, blondie," he says, and she rolls her eyes at the nickname and when he breaks into a full out grin, she swears she is  _not_  about to swoon.

"I kinda have you ta thank," she offers, biting her lip as she hands him his change. He scoffs and shakes his head, obviously not agreeing.

"Ya know, I still don't even know your last name," she says, deciding to ignore his brush off for now and deciding to be a little bold.

He raises his eyebrows. "What ya need to know that for?" he asks, and she's relieved when she only hears surprise in his voice as opposed to annoyance or anger.

"Well when I'm this great, super awesome nurse, I need to be able to name the man who pushed me toward pursin' my career." she answers, a teasing tone in her voice and she gives him a sweet smile, batting her eyelashes playfully.

He snorts. "Yer crazy, girl." he shakes his head and begins to pack away his smokes.

Beth just grins and doesn't let the fact that he didn't answer her bother her. She watches as he grabs his bottle and turns around, heading for the door and just when she is about to turn around herself, heading back to the desk in the corner, she hears his gruff voice again.

"Dixon." he grunts out, staring at her as he pushes his back against the door. "Last name's Dixon."

She grins. "Well, Mr.  _Dixon_ , it's always a pleasure. Have a good night." she says, putting a little extra charm in her voice. "Oh, mine's Greene by the way, in case ya were wondering. Beth Greene." she then adds as an afterthought, deciding to make it fair.

He smirks. "See ya around, Greene."

With that he exits the building and makes his way to his bike and as Beth turns around and heads for the desk, she lets out a small laugh, smiling the entire time.

* * *

 


	9. Chapter 9

"Have ya ever been to that small diner just on the other side of town?" she asks him a few nights later.

"Carol's?" he asks handing her a twenty dollar bill.

"Is that what it's called? I never really paid attention...but anyways, have ya been there? Is the food good? I've always wanted to go but Maggie never has time and Glenn is always asleep and I always thought it would too weird if I went by myself." she speaks, fully realizing she's babbling but also not really caring because he seems to be curiously listening.

"Yeah I've been there a few times, food's real good." he supplies and when Beth looks up to see a playful smile on his lips, she feels like there is something she doesn't know.

"Maybe I'll stop there after work then. Then I'll go home and crash and probably won't leave my bed at all until Monday." she muses.

Daryl snorts. "Anyone every tell ya you're weird, girl?"

"Anyone ever tell ya you smoke too much?" she counters with a smirk as she rings up his three -because it's Friday - packs of Reds.

He glares at her but she sees a playfulness in his eyes that just makes her grin.

"Yeah. Crazy woman I know, annoyin' little blonde thing." he remarks and she lets out a surprised laugh and when he releases a small chuckle in return, she bites her lip and finishes handing him his change.

"Have ya figured out what yer gonna do yet?" he asks then and she starts to wonder if maybe the world has ended because not only is she having a decent conversation with Daryl Dixon - who usually only answers her in mumbles and grunts - but he is smiling and seems to be just as unwilling to leave as she is to see him go.

"Not yet. I'll probably stay with my Daddy for a few days though. I don't see him as much as I should now that I'm livin' on my own." she answers with a shrug. "Still undecided about the rest...though that road trip I mentioned before sounds really nice. I've always loved drivin' down the open roads."

He grunts and nods his head and begins to stuff his smokes in his pocket. She can't help but wonder if she will ever see him again once she leaves Dale's. She had never seen him in town before she started working here and she doesn't imagine that to change after, and she would be lying if that doesn't make her feel a little sad. She suddenly thinks of something though just as Daryl picks up water bottle to leave.

"So what are ya gonna do once I'm gone?" she asks curiously, leaning up against the counter.

"What'da ya mean?" he questions with a furrowed brow.

"I know why ya buy three packs on Friday," she hints, raising her eyebrow at him but not saying anything else.

Daryl shrugs and she half expects him to not respond at all - especially with the way his cheeks are turning pink but he just smirks as he pushes open the door.

"'Suppose it's time I quit anyways."

And with that he walks out the door and gets on his bike and Beth feels her shocked expression turn into a surprised smile as he gives her a small wave before he peels out of the lot, leaving her with far too many questions that she knows will go unanswered.

* * *

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

It's been a week and Dale has hired someone new - to replace her when she leaves - and while Beth likes to pride herself on being nice to everyone and always giving someone the benefit of the doubt, she can't help but feel a little wary about Cesar Martinez.

He's a few years older than her and has a cocky attitude most of the time and Beth finds it really annoying - and also a little weird - that he prefers to just be called by his last name. So she tries to find the good qualities in him, like the fact that he has a friendly personality (even though it might be deemed a little  _too_  friendly at times) and he picks up the work pace pretty easily - not that it was very hard - and that at least makes her job of training him a little easier.

She tries to distance herself from him though, which is why she finds herself out on the floor, reorganizing the shelves when Daryl comes in that night. She looks up when the door opens and Martinez gives Daryl a curt head nod in greeting and Daryl pauses, his hand still on the door as he seems to give the guy a once over.

"Hi Daryl," she calls from over the boxes of cereals she was trying to face.

His head whips over to her and he seems to relax a little, beginning to make his way to the cooler - which was only a few feet away from where she stood.

"Who's the beaner?" he asks gruffly but quiet enough to where Martinez can't hear.

She gives him a disapproving look at the name but when she sees a faint smirk form on his lips she can't help but to smile in return.

"New guy...Dale hired him to be my replacement when I'm gone." she explains, abandoning her work and walking closer to him, now fixing up the display of chips right in front of the cooler door.

Daryl grabs his water and lets the door shut and he surprises her by leaning against it, giving her a look before he glances back at Martinez who is sitting in the desk chair, his feet propped up and looking bored, though he pays them no mind.

"Ya don't like him," Daryl deduces lowly, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Beth frowns and shakes her head slightly. "He's alright...he's a little... _different_ , but still nice enough." she struggles to explain.

Daryl makes a humming noise in the back of his throat and looks at her again, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"He givin' ya any trouble?" he questions, a slight protective tone in his voice that surprises Beth and she looks back at him.

She shakes her head again. "Nothin' I can't handle." she shrugs.

Daryl grunts, a disgruntled sound that makes her believe he doesn't like that answer at all.

"Come on, I'll ring ya out," she says then and begins to walk to the front of the store and even though she knows he is right behind her, she's surprised at how quiet his steps are.

She gives Martinez a small smile as she walks behind the counter and motions for him to stay where he is - not only did she know Daryl wouldn't want the guy ringing him out, she also didn't want to let him - and she grabs a pack of smokes and begins ringing Daryl up. They finished the transaction silently and when he left, he almost seemed like he didn't want to.

"Ya still got my number?" he whispered gruffly, so low that Beth had to strain her ears and lean a bit forward to hear him.

She was surprised by his question but nodded anyways, smiling slightly and he nodded as well before giving a rough sigh and heading out the door. He seemed to linger longer than usual but Beth figured maybe she was just imagining it and she let out a small sigh as she pulled herself up to sit on the counter.

"Pretty quiet around here," Martinez speaks up.

"Yeah but it's nice, I think," Beth says, giving him a smile and he smirks. "It's also pretty easy, I mean, this store is pretty much empty after midnight. You'll get a good few hours to yourself before the morning rush starts to come in."

"Hmm," Martinez hums with a look that makes a tingle run down Beth's spine and she isn't sure why she suddenly feels the need to distance herself from him once again.

She hops down from the counter and makes her way out onto the floor, looking for anything to do. She manages to busy herself for the next few hours and when a truck pulls into the lot and a man comes in, introducing himself as Philip and as one of Martinez's good friends - the latter of whom decides to go outside for a smoke break that lasts almost a good hour as he converses with the equally off putting man named Philip - Beth decides that the end of the week can't come fast enough because not only would she be rid of this place but she would also not have to deal with the uncomfortable feeling that seemed to be taking root in her veins as she kept an eye on the two men outside.

Later when she's driving home that morning, she decides that good manners be damned, she doesn't like Cesar Martinez, or his  _good friend_  Philip, at all.

* * *

 


	11. Chapter 11

It's a few days later when Daryl mentions that the bike has been acting up and she even sees it for herself that night when it takes him almost three tries to start it. Maybe that's why she isn't surprised when the next day she finds herself glancing down at the clock to see it reading 11:56 and he still hasn't come by. She can't help but frown. As much as Daryl seemed to be following a routine every night by coming in at (almost) exactly the same time, give or take a few minutes, Beth realizes that she had fallen into the routine as well and not seeing him that night makes a weird feeling thump in her chest.

She lets out a sigh as she leans back against the counter, catching the attention of Martinez who was sitting at the desk, legs propped up.

"So why'd you quit, chica?" he asks her, giving her a tiny smirk.

Beth shrugs. "Just time for a change a guess." she answers honestly.

Martinez nods. "I getcha. Ya got any plans set up yet?" he asks then and even though he's only asking it in a friendly manner, as a way to pass the time, Beth still feels that unsettling feeling creep back into her chest that she so often got these past few nights training the man.

"Not really," she offers lamely.

He lets the conversation drop after that and Beth is grateful. She decides to go out onto the floor to try and find something to pass the time - just thankful that after tonight she only had one more shift left - when the rumble of an engine pauses her. A small part of her finds herself wishing that it's Daryl - even though she has practically memorized the familiar rumble of his bike and knows that its not him - so when she glances out the window she can't help but be disappointed when she sees the unfamiliar black truck pull into the parking space just besides the door - _Daryl's parking space_ , she finds herself thinking.

While she may not find the truck familiar, Martinez definitely seems to and Beth jumps as the man lets out a loud curse, quickly standing up and glancing out the window and Beth feels a cold shiver run down her spine as a feeling of dread seems to begin to occupy the air around them.

Beth recognizes the man who introduced himself as Philip step out of the truck before slamming the door and nearly stomping his way to the entrance and Beth is sure that she has never seen someone looked so pissed off before.

"Martinez!" Philip shouts, whipping the door open and stepping inside. "Change of plans, I need that money now."

Martinez gives Beth a wide-eyed look before glancing back at Philip. "Man, you couldn't have waited one more day?" he asks incredulously, motioning to Beth and she sucks in a sharp breath when she locks eyes with Philip, who gives her an almost menacing smile and if Beth didn't feel cold before, she certainly did now.

"What's going -" she begins to speak but Philip is quick to cut her off.

"No time for chit chat Princess, I have a job that needs to be done."

Any response she was going to say after that is quickly stuffed down her throat as she hears a metallic clicking and suddenly, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

* * *

 


	12. Chapter 12

"This wasn't what we agreed on." Matinez spoke up, sounding annoyed. "Told ya we'd do this as long as the girl wasn't here." he continued and even if he did give Beth what could only be described as a sympathetic smile, she watched with a heavy heart as he pulled his own gun out from his waistband.

"Like I said, plans changed." Philip said, shrugging but not looking sorry at all, though he did lower his gun just slightly. "Now, the safe is in the back office, right Princess?" Philip said then, turning his attention back to Beth.

Something seemed to snap in her then, at how crazy this all was.

"Are ya kiddin' me?" she asked in a breathless voice. "How much money ya think Dale keeps here? This ain't exactly the hottest spot in town." she exclaimed and then swallowed loudly when the gun was pointed right at her face again.

"Didn't ask for your opinion Princess; asked ya where the money is." Philip said in a voice that made Beth shudder and he smirked, noticing the action.

"Yeah. It's locked in the office." she admitted unwilling but just hoping that by cooperating she would avoid getting a bullet put through her skull.

Philip smirked again. "Now, ya gonna be a good girl and hand over the key or am I gonna have to come over there and help ya find it?" he cocked his eyebrow and Beth took in a sharp breath, giving him a glare.

She reached into her back pocket - resisting the urge to roll her eyes when she saw Martinez shift beside her, preparing himself as if she was about to pull her own gun out and join the party - and took out her keys. Philip came around the counter, gun still pointed at her and Beth couldn't help but be thankful that he had once again lowered it, at least if he shot her at this angle there was a chance she would still survive. He stopped in front of her, his dark eyes pooling with excitement and Beth held back a grimace at how the man could seem so at ease at the situation.

He held his hand out and Beth may have been blonde but she sure as hell wasn't dumb. She dropped the keys in his palm and mumbled the code to the safe, wishing that Dale hadn't been so trusting in giving it to her but she knew she was doing the right thing. Dale would much rather lose his money than be plagued with the guilt of her blood on his hands.

"Good girl." Philip sneered and Beth narrowed her eyes at him, making him chuckle. "Now, Martinez, you with me?" Philip asked then, pointing his gaze on his friend and Beth thought briefly about her phone in her pocket but just as her hand began to twitch toward it, Martinez's dark eyes were on her and he gave her a stern shake of his head and she froze.

"Got it boss." Martinez said, his gaze focused on Beth.

"You keep an eye on this Princess, ya hear. Somethin' tells me she's gotta real spark in 'er." Philip said and Beth stiffened when she felt his hand run down her arm. "Might even have to have a little fun before we leave."

Beth closed her eyes and held her breath before she finally felt his hand leave her skin and she held back her sigh as her eyes popped back open, Philip's footsteps fading behind her toward the back office.

"Over here." Martinez instructed, his glare was hard, leaving no room for doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot her, even if he had lowered his gun.

She reluctantly walked toward him and she let out a surprised gasp as his hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her toward him. She tensed and a sense of panic began to seep into her bones as she felt him place his hand on her hip. Beth could handle getting a gun pointed in her face and a few choice words being tossed her way but  _this_ , having her body being touched without her permission was something she could not handle and she felt the burn of tears behind her eyes. But she would not go down without a fight though, that was for damn sure.

She quickly braced her hands against the man's chest and shoved him hard.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed, thankful that her voice didn't convey the panic she was feeling.

"Calm down  _chica_ ," Martinez spoke with a small chuckle and it was only then that she saw that he now had her cell phone in his hand, holding it up so she could watch him place it on the counter behind him. "Just gotta make sure you don't try anything stupid. I may not want to hurt you but if I have to, you best believe I will." He gave her a shrug. "And it ain't me ya gotta worry 'bout anyway."

Before Beth could react, to shudder or to gasp as she pondered his words, the air around them seemed to shift, to tense and they both froze as the sound of an engine began to echo in the lot. Beth glanced at the clock and she had to hold back her smile.

It might have been well past 11:30, but Beth would recognize the rumble of that motorcycle anywhere.

* * *

 


	13. Chapter 13

Beth's heartbeat was thrumming so loud she was sure Martinez could hear it.

"Thought you said no one comes in after midnight?" Martinez growled, looking over at Daryl who was just getting off his bike, a cigarette hanging from his lips and taking far too long in Beth's opinion.

"It ain't exactly a science!" she snapped, the sight of Daryl making her bold. "I don't control people."

Martinez made a annoyed noise before he snapped his fingers and motioned for her to get to the register. "Listen here _chica_ , you say one word that you don't need to and I'll not only put a bullet in you but your boyfriend too, got it?" he sneered.

Beth just gave a sharp nod, the idea of either her, or especially Daryl, getting shot having silenced her. When Daryl walks in she takes a deep breath as he glances over at her but she just tries her best to smile and with the way his eyebrows furrow, she doesn't believe she achieved. Martinez is behind her, now sitting at the desk but she knows that gun is still pointed at her. She can just  _feel_  it.

As she hears the cooler door shut, her mind begins to race; she has to figure out a way to tell Daryl, without actually telling him. She bites her lip as she sees him begin to walk toward the register. She knows she can't try hinting at it through a conversation, not only did Martinez threaten her about that already but it would be so obvious, he already knew Daryl wasn't much of a talker just by the couple of days he had been working here.

"Hi Daryl," Beth speaks up, wincing slightly when she hears her voice crack slightly.

Daryl sets his bottle down on the counter and after hearing her voice, gives her a questioning look, tilting his head slightly. He watches her face carefully but doesn't say anything and as Beth begins to ring up his water, she catches him looking behind her, narrowing his eyes at Martinez. Just as Beth reaches up to grab his pack of cigarettes, an idea suddenly comes to her. She grabs the pack of menthol and places it down on the counter, not making a sound as she finishes ringing him up.

Daryl, who was in the middle of searching through his pockets, pauses when he sees the sight of the green box, his eyebrow shooting up in surprise. He glances back up at Beth and she keeps her face blank but as her eyes lock on his, blue on blue, she just hopes he can understand the way she is pleading for him to help her. Just slightly, not moving her body at all, Beth glances over at Martinez, hoping that Daryl catches the movement and then she reads him his total.

She watches as Daryl does the same thing she did, looking at Martinez, only moving his eyes and she nearly cries with relief when she sees the moment he seems to understand. His body tenses and those blue eyes go hard, a steel blue that should probably be terrifying but Beth swears it the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

"Have a good night , Daryl," she says softly, not wanting to give anything away to Martinez.

Daryl just grunts in response and Beth wonders if she is the only one who noticed the way it sounded more like a growl. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to happen after that but as she watched Daryl pack up his things, she sure as hell wasn't expecting him to just turn around and head for the door, those damn angel wings on his vest mocking her as her heart sank down to her toes.

* * *

 


	14. Chapter 14

Just before Beth starts to panic, beginning to think she had only imagined that protective look that had been in Daryl's eyes - letting her know that he knew she was in trouble, she suddenly jumps, startled as Daryl lets out a curse just as he places his hand on the door. She notices Martinez shift behind her and once again she wonders if anyone else can hear how loud her heart is beating.

"Shit, almost forgot," Daryl says, turning toward her. "Beth can ya help me with somethin'." he continues, his voice soft and if she still couldn't see that dark look in his eyes, she would swear he didn't know a thing.

"Whatd'aya need man?" Martinez speaks up behind her and she stiffens.

Daryl's eyes narrow at the man as he sets his water bottle down on the counter. "A woman's opinion. Unless ya know what kinda tampons I should get my girl." He snaps and if this were any other situation, Beth would have smiled.

She doesn't have to turn to see the shocked, almost sheepish look on Martinez's face but she does catch a glimpse of it as she silently makes her way around the counter, trying her best to keep calm. She motions for Daryl to follow her and she can feel Martinez's eyes on them as she leads them to the back corner of the store, where the feminine products are. She notices that Daryl has his phone out, his body blocking Martinez from seeing and she takes a deep breath as they stop, thankful that the spot just so happened to be the farthest away from the counter and Beth wonders if Daryl planned that on purpose.

"Talk ta me, girl," he says quietly, his voice hard as he keeps his gaze on the shelf in front of them.

"Two of 'em. One's in the office in back, both got guns." she whispers, barely moving her lips as she picks up a random box, trying not to be obvious.

Daryl makes another growling noise and a shiver runs down Beth spine as she feels his hand on her lower back. He looks at the box in her hands but she knows he isn't really paying attention, especially when he speaks again.

"There a door back there that leads outside?" he grumbles, crouching down slightly like he was searching for something and he points to the door Beth knows is only a few feet away from them that leads to the storage room.

"Mm, hmm," she answers, biting her lip as she glances over at Martinez's who is staring at them. "These should be good," she says then, letting her voice carry across the room.

She holds them out to Daryl - who had stood straight again - and just as he grabs them and she lets go, she watches as he lets them fall to the ground. Within an instant, she feels his hand wrap around her wrist and he tugs her down, making her crouch and he pushes her lightly toward the storage room door.

"Beth," Martinez shouts and she sucks in a deep breath.

"Go," Daryl growls and the two use the shelves as cover as they make their way toward the door.

She quickly pulls down the handle, letting the door swing open and Daryl shoves her inside and just before he can get the door shut behind them, Beth lets out a small scream as the sound of a gun shot echoes in her ear.

"Girl, c'mon," Daryl says quickly, slamming the door and locking it before he turns to her, where she is standing there, stock still as she stares at the small hole in the wall beside her, just inches from where her head is.

_She almost got shot._

She jumps slightly as she feels someone cradle her head, a pair of rough but gentle hands on either side of her cheeks and she looks up to see that ocean of blue and she instantly relaxes.

"Listen girl, I ain't gonna let anything happen ta ya but we gotta go, a'ight. C'mon." Daryl says and even though his voice is hard she can see the softness in his eyes.

She nods her head quickly just as there is a pounding on the door and Daryl reaches down, grabbing her hand. He quickly leads her toward the back door and he roughly shoves it open and as the cool air hits her skin, Beth feels herself relax slightly. Just as Daryl pulls her around the side of the building they hear the back door open again and she nearly jumps out of her skin when Daryl suddenly twists around her, wrapping one arm around her middle and the other comes up to place his hand over her mouth, preventing the startled scream from escaping her lips.

"Shhh," he murmurs, beginning to walk them backwards.

She nods her head against his hand and even though she is scared out of her mind, she can't help but notice how  _right_  it feels to be wrapped in his arms and a part of her wants to just smack herself. Here she is with a crazy man with a gun looking for her and all she can think about is how Daryl Dixon's arms wrapped around her feels like the most wonderful thing in the world. Daryl continues to lead her backwards until they are behind the dumpster, the heavy metal box blocking them from view and he lets his hands drop from around her.

"Ya know how to fire a gun?" he asks roughly, his voice quiet as she turns around to face him.

She shakes her head as she watches him reach behind him and pull a gun from his waistband. Jesus, did every man in Georgia carry a gun or something? Did she miss the memo? He sighs and then quickly places the heavy object in her hands, mumbling out how to use it.

"Daryl, I -" she quickly stammers out, her eyes wide but he cuts her off.

"Relax girl, ya ain't gonna need to use it, I'll make sure but I ain't leavin' ya alone without a weapon," he rushes.

"You're _leavin_ ' me?" she gasps, her eyes getting wider and she swears Daryl almost smiles at her expression.

"Just gonna cause a distraction. You'll be fine. Yer tough, girl." he assures her and she feels like a damn fool, staring at him with her mouth wide open. "Stay here." he growls then, his voice stern and before she can move he is gone, leaving her alone behind a smelly dumpster and she can't help but to curse him out - in her mind of course.

Some hero he is, leaving her all alone.

She adjusts herself behind the dumpster, her eyes darting back and forth between the sides of the building. She isn't sure what Daryl was going to do but she feels like hours have past when she suddenly brings her hand up to her mouth, muffling her screams as the sound of gunshots begin to ring out and she knows its dumb but she squeezes her eyes shut, just trying not to picture Daryl lying on the ground, bleeding, or worse.

She's so caught up in trying to keep herself calm that she doesn't even hear the sound of someone approaching behind her. Only when she feels a hand clamp down on her shoulder does she react, dropping the gun from her hand in surprise and letting out a scream.

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	15. Chapter 15

Beth is sitting on the curb, her arms wrapped around her legs and she's staring down at her feet, watching as the red and blue lights around her flash against the pavement. She jumps slightly as she feels something being draped over her shoulders and she quickly looks up.

"'S"just me." Daryl says gruffly, continuing to drape his jacket over her.

"Thanks," she says quietly, gripping the leather and pulling it tighter around herself, realizing now just how cold she is.

Daryl makes a humming noise in his throat and then looks over, straightening up as she sees Rick Grimes walking over to them.

Daryl Dixon is friends with the sheriff, who knew? Beth didn't that was for sure. Sure, she knew Daryl wasn't a bad guy or anything but still, when she thought about the type of guys the rough man might have hung around with, a man of the law was certainly not the first one on the list.

She thinks back to just a half hour ago, when she had been hiding behind the dumper and Rick had come up behind her, quickly placing his hand over her mouth to muffle the scream that had nearly escaped.

"Easy," he had murmured. "Name's, Rick Grimes." And it was only then she had saw the tan uniform he was wearing and she doesn't even regret the way she had thrown her arms around the man, hugging him in relief and he had chuckled as he helped her back to her feet.

Now, she glances over at the cop car where she knows Martinez and Philip are and she frowns. One day, she only had  _one_  more day of work and of course  _this_  had to happen. She looks up as Rick stops in front of her, giving her a smile before he looks up at Daryl who is still standing behind her.

"You two are okay to go if ya want. Philip Blake is a proud man, admitted to everything." Rick says and then snorts in both amusement and annoyance, shaking his head slightly.

"What are ya gonna do with 'em?" she hears Daryl ask, and her lips twitch slightly when she hears that same protective tone in his voice.

"Jail for both, probably for a long time too. Ain't the first offense for either of 'em." Ricks explains before he glances back down at Beth. "You okay?"

She smiles. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Rick smirks. "Ain't me ya should be thankin'. Daryl's the one who sent me a message, he's the one who knocked out Martinez and cornered Philip too. Keep tellin' him he'd make a great addition to the force." he finishes up, his tone playful as he glances back up at Daryl.

Daryl scoffs and when Beth glances up she sees him rolling his eyes. "Not a chance, Grimes." he says shaking his head and Beth smiles.

"Suit yourself," Ricks says with a laugh, placing his palms out in front of him in a form of surrender. "You two have a good rest of the night."

Rick walks away then, heading back over to where Dale was over talking with the other officers, having showed up a few minutes after everything happened, still dressed in his pajamas and despite everything, Beth had teased him as he had told her she was more than welcome to go home early. Beth sighs as she stands up, keeping Daryl's jacket tight around her as she turns toward him.

"Thank you, really. You saved my life tonight." she says quietly, giving the man a smile.

"S'nothing," he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck and Beth sees the tips of his ears begin to turn red and she grins.

"Why were ya so late today anyway?" she asks curiously, tilting her head slightly.

Daryl clears his throat and as the red tint spreads further across his skin, Beth begins to feel a flutter in her stomach.

"Well, I uh, was gonna come keep ya company til yer shift was over. Knew ya didn't really like being here with that beaner." he mumbles, his eyes going hard as they glanced over toward the cop car before he looked back at her and cleared his throat again. "Thought maybe we could go to Carol's once ya got off too." he shrugged, now looking anywhere but at her.

"Mmm, pancakes and eggs do sound lovely," Beth says playfully before a thought crosses her mind and she lets out a laugh, causing Daryl to look up at her.

"What?" he mutters, narrowing his eyes at her.

She grins. "Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were askin' me on a date, Daryl Dixon."

She had only been teasing, smiling warmly at him but when those blue eyes meet hers again, showing an intensity that she doesn't expect and he doesn't say anything else, that fluttering feeling returns in her stomach again.

"Oh." she breathes out, just before another smile spreads across her lips and even though he looks away, his face a beautiful and unexpected shade of red, she swears she can see a smile on Daryl's lips as well.

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	16. Chapter 16

Somehow Dale had managed to convince Beth to work one more week. She wasn't alone this time though, Noah had shared the shifts with her because Dale decided it wasn't safe only having one person working overnight, he also decided that it wasn't worth having an overnight shift and decided that the store would now only be open until nine o'clock every night, after this last week. Beth couldn't help but roll her eyes - of course he decides all this  _after_.

She gives Noah a wave before she walks out into the morning sun, heading for her car. She glances back at the store as she gets in, giving the place one last smile before she starts the car and begins to drive away. She only travels down the main road a little ways before she turns down the old dirt path, her tires leaving a trail of dust as she heads toward the small cabin.

When she pulls up she can't help but smile as she sees Daryl walking out the door, a small bag slung across his shoulder and she parks next to his blue truck on the side of the house before she gets out.

"Hope ya packed light," Daryl calls from his position by his motorcycle, glancing up at her as she reaches behind her seat to grab the small bag she had placed in there last night. "Ain't got much room for alotta shit." he mumbles, focusing his attention back down at the bike.

"Good morning to you too," she says lightly, rolling her eyes as she walks over to him.

She places a quick kiss on his cheek as she sets her bag down lightly on the ground beside him. He pauses what he's doing and glances up at her, reaching out to grab her hand just as she is turning to head toward the cabin. Beth lets out a small giggle as he pulls her back to him, causing her to crash lightly against his chest. He leans down, placing his lips sweetly on hers and she feels herself melt against him. When he pulls away there is a small smirk on his lips that causes Beth to break out into a grin.

"Mornin'," he says gruffly, giving her hips a light squeeze before he releases her.

"I'm just gonna go change real quick and then I'm ready when you are," she says, giving him another smile before she heads for the cabin and she hears him let out a grunt in response.

She heads to the bedroom and goes over to the small suitcase that was pushed into the corner of the room and throws together an outfit. She changes quickly and just as she is about head back outside she sees one of Daryl's flannels - this one with the sleeves still attached - and grabs it, swinging it on as she heads back down the hall. She walks into the kitchen and pours herself a cup of the coffee Daryl had already made and then makes her way back outside to see him leaning over the bike again, seeming to have gotten both their bags tucked securely into the saddlebag.

He looks up when he hears her come out and seeing his shirt he raises his eyebrow questioningly. Beth just shrugs and continues toward him, smiling slightly when she sees him roll his eyes, though playfully.

"Ready?" she asks, taking a sip of her coffee.

Daryl looks at her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Ya sure about this?"

"Mm hmm," she answers without hesitating - it wasn't like this was the first time he had asked.

"I'm just sayin', once we get on that road yer stuck with me," he warns her, his tone far more serious than she would like and she frowns.

"Daryl, if I didn't want you to come, I wouldn't have asked," she says, just as serious as he had been and she sees some of the nervous tension fade from his shoulders. "'Sides, I think what ya should really be worried 'bout is once we get on the road,  _you'll_  be stuck with  _me._ " she adds teasingly, bumping her hip against his.

He smirks, shaking his head. "Ain't worried 'bout that." he says, taking her cup and heading toward the porch.

Beth stands by the bike as she watches him place the cup on the small bench seat he has by the door before pulling his keys out of his pocket. He locks up the cabin and then heads over to their cars, making sure those are locked up as well. Once he makes his way back to the motorcycle he quickly swings his leg over, taking position as he reaches into his pocket to pull out his pack of cigarettes.

"Those clouds are lookin' pretty dark over there," she says, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Already told ya last night, ain't gonna rain." he grumbles, placing a cigarette between his lips.

"You know where ya wanna go yet?" he asks her then as she comes up beside him, placing her hands on his shoulders to brace herself as she climbs on behind him.

"Nope," Beth says lightly, snuggling closer to him and wrapping her arms around him. "But definitely somewhere outta Georgia."

She feels, more than hears, him chuckle in front of her. "Yer crazy, girl," he says, staring up the bike and Beth laughs as she feels the rumble of the engine beneath her.

"Yeah, but I'm  _your_  girl," she responds playfully and he turns around slightly, arching his eyebrow at her.

"Like I said,  _crazy_ ," he answers, a playful tone in his voice and a glint in his eyes that makes Beth laugh again, squeezing her arms tighter around him.

"Just take me away from here, Mr. Dixon," she says, shifting around to a more comfortable position.

"Yes ma'am," he drawls and she doesn't have to see him to know that he is smiling.

He slowly starts to drive down the dirt road and just before he reaches the main road, he finally lights up that cigarette that had been resting in between his lips.

Beth can't help but smile.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and please review! :)


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